Winding Roadster... The second coming:)
Howdy fellow Roadster enthusiasts!
Finally getting around to creating a build thread for my 1994 Laguna Blue NA8. This is my second Miata, I purchased my old NA6 in 2013 after totaling my '87 Toyota pick up when someone turned in front of me on a yellow light. I had the truck for a few years and ended up using it to help friends move, more than enjoying it myself. :fp:
https://i.imgur.com/lm6xSo3.jpg
After the accident, I decided that I wanted something smaller and more fun to drive. I thought back to my high school days when I drove a friends NA Miata. Admittedly, I was a Honda guy at the time driving a '99 Civic Hatchback. There was something different about driving their Roadster. Not sure if it was the feeling of driving a street legal go-kart or the wind in my hair... but that feeling stayed with me. Miata was always the answer.
Flash forward ten years, to the weeks following the crash. I was looking for a Miata with the following criteria.
1- NA only
2- with hardtop
3- Manual transmission
I didn't have a lot to spend but luckily the market wasn't crazy back then. Finally I came across a worthy candidate, a 1991 NA6 that checked all the boxes. I offered them $3k and drove home happy as a pig in shit!
https://i.imgur.com/bo70nMU.jpg
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I upgraded to a 1.8 swap and daily drove the Miata for years. I was content with the very minor modifications it had, and at the time, I didn't have any money for much else. I picked up a new car in 2016 and let the car sit(under a cover) for 30 months. My priorities had changed and the Miata took the back seat. I still loved her but certainly wasn't showing it. In 2019 I decided to bring her back to life. I was in a better place financially and could finally consider having a second vehicle. This time around I was much more passionate about it.
https://i.imgur.com/LxGuqvc.jpg
My focus changed to building a 90's style Roadster using period correct parts. I started by sourcing a variety of Japanese parts, from the MSO1R wheels to the foglights.. I was starting to graze the surface of what would soon become an addiction.
https://i.imgur.com/xv2VSCh.jpg
As my addiction grew and my parts accumulated, I started contemplating my "forever" plans for Old Whitey. She had a lot of miles on the chassis by this point and had some bodywork done throughout her life. The more I spent, the more I felt that I should reconsider keeping the NA6. After speaking with the old ball and chain about my thoughts the search began for the Roadster I will grow old with.
I knew I wanted another NA. I've driven newer models but to me, the nothing compares to the original. This time around my criteria for the perfect Miata had changed to the following-
1. Low mileage
2. Sunburst, Merlot, British racing green or Laguna Blue Only
3. Manual trans
4. Clean body with matching VIN on all panels
I searched high and low for months. By this time the market had changed for the friendly hairdresser cars and the prices were starting to get out of hand. I started losing hope, checking out a few unworthy options and almost talking myself into making the wrong choice. The worst being a wasted trip to Las Vegas to check out a car I hardly wanted(wrong color, wrong package) just because it had low mileage. I won't soon forget the somber drive home in rental car, when I imagined it would be in my new(to me) Miata.
When I woke up January 19th 2021 I couldn't believe my eyes. A for sale add had just been posted on Craigslist for my dream car... My 1994 Laguna Blue R package Miata!! While I knew the LB paint option was rare(1700 total) I had no idea of the rarity of the LB R package. Since both options were an additional cost from the factory, not too many people opted for the 2 of them together. There was only 147 produced in '94!
The seller was local and would be coming home for his lunch break in a few minutes so I raced over to his house to meet him. Upon first glance, it wasn't quite as clean as I had hoped for. The paint was dull and the selection of parts was mids, equipped with Ebay coilovers, fake Momo steering wheel and extended lug nuts on factory hollow spokes. The tires were low and I could tell this car wasn't receiving the attention it deserved. The father/son that previously owned it had purchase it for autocross. The super clean Mustang(dad's) and S13(son's) that it shared the driveway with made it clear that the guys had moved on from the Roadster. I used this to my advantage while negotiating and walked away with my new baby for a bit less than expected!!
https://i.imgur.com/VeO0CTw.jpg
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There she is on her maiden voyage, proudly rocking the giveaway stickers and hacked up muffler shop exhaust. The only modification worth keeping was the Zerek Fab Rollbar.
https://i.imgur.com/VaQetsi.jpg
I got the ball rolling by removing the R package wing and hideous stickers, before having a friend take care of a much needed detail. Slowly but surely she was becoming the Roadster I had dreamed of!:angel:
https://i.imgur.com/AMCCwPH.jpg
With all of my attention going to my new ride, it was time to let go of my old NA6. Before I could do this I needed to first swap over the parts from one chassis to the other. Thankfully, my good friend Dakotah offered to let me bring both vehicles to his shop, the former home of Sour Motorsports. Fellow team members of the illustrious MAZDAFAST Racing Club came through for a fun-filled day of wrenching. Almost gracefully we transferred the parts over, adding some nice additions along the way.
https://i.imgur.com/LD97YBe.jpg
Even with some unexpected fixes, by the end of the day we had accomplished almost everything. Leaving only light suspension work for the following weekend. We shared a ton of laughs that day and I'm forever grateful for the help that I received from my MF brothers!!
https://i.imgur.com/MksgnYv.jpg
Here's a video if you want to check out our endeavors lol https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6CKC5Z-NhA
I was back on the road with the Laguna, happy as could be!
https://i.imgur.com/U2Z0qmc.jpg
Time for a quick wash before Blue's first trip to Kinod:)
https://i.imgur.com/Ww0HOuy.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/cbu9Jm9.jpg
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Next on the agenda was installing the controversial replica Mazdaspeed type II front lip. Followed by some interior upgrades.
https://i.imgur.com/3NBa5Af.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/QaKNEdt.jpg
To accent the front lip I installed Kanspo skirts. My original plan was to install Mazdaspeed type II skirts but I came across the Kanspo's and couldn't pass them up.
https://i.imgur.com/Y0b1Iwn.jpg
The next move was to replace the headlight lids. I wanted something more aggressive than the naca duct intake lid that my old NA had so I opted for dual Zoom Engineering lids.
https://i.imgur.com/Ra9vU5t.jpg
In conjunction to the lids in the front, I added Zoom Engineering tail lights to the mix.
https://i.imgur.com/eWDeNpS.jpg
TO BE CONTINUED........
